Running an Office Practice Note series
The DIA series of Practice Notes on Running an Office cover all you need to know to operate a design business, from getting your studio up and running, through to embedding contemporary best practice human resources and reporting systems.
These Practice Notes are suitable for graduates just starting out, seasoned professionals interested in fine-tuning their administration or mid-career designers working in any discipline.
The Running an Office series includes the following titles:
Setting up a Design Practice
Marketing & Comms
Social Media
Insurance
GST
Staff performance
Preparing for a Performance Appraisal
Supply Chain Transparency
Setting up a Design Practice: This Practice Note outlines the basics of establishing a new design business, from choosing the right legal structure to meeting your tax and workplace safety responsibilities.
Marketing & Comms: This Practice Note provides a comprehensive guide to developing and implementing an effective marketing and communications strategy for your design business, whatever your specialisation or budget.
Social Media: This Practice Note is full of expert advice for harnessing the power of social media to build a successful design business, starting with the basics of identifying your target audience and covering everything you need to know to get your messages right, and what to do when it all goes wrong.
Insurance: This Practice Note decodes the different types of insurance designers might need and provides tips for getting the best deal for your business.
GST: This Practice Note unpacks the Goods and Services Tax to step you through how to handle charging clients, claim deductions and set up the right account for your business with the tax office.
Staff performance: This Practice Note builds on contemporary approaches to positive workplace culture, and includes advice for sole traders on making time for reflection and learning, and the benefits for everyone of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and the DIA’s Accredited Designer™ program.
Preparing for a Performance Appraisal: This Practice Note guides designers in any role through a series of questions designed to help you focus on achievements and ambitions, and also serves as a handy reference for anyone supervising designers.
Supply Chain Transparency: This Practice Note provides a thorough explanation of the concept of supply chain transparency, how it applies to designers and best practice for reporting to clients.
About the DIA's Practice Notes
The DIA’s Practice Notes give designers the fundamentals to take control of their careers and flourish at work. The series has had its first major overhaul in over a decade. The refreshed notes provide more relevant guidance for contemporary workplaces and is available free for all designers who are members of the DIA.
The Practice Notes cover topics such as conditions of engagement, confidentiality agreements, preparing for staff reviews, understanding intellectual property and how to set fees for design services. As well as updating existing titles in the series the project has identified new topics covering issues designers face at different stages of their careers, such as supply chain transparency and responding to requests for free pitches.
The different topics in the series are organised by themes:
Designers in Australia
Working as a Designer
Working with Clients
Running an Office
Buying Design Services